Always Sunny
by Plague's Vengeance
Summary: Sent to live with her aunt in the human realm after a near-death experience, 8-year-old witch (among other things) Sunny Domann embarks on a journey to learn how to be human. She'll meet new friends, make enemies, and maybe (with some help) get her beloved aunt to admit her feelings for the nice, if boring, policeman. And with any luck, she won't murder Jacob bloody Black.


Note: Oh, look, I'm alive. Mostly. I'm not entirely sure where the hell this fic is gonna go, just warning y'all now. It's...**very** different from the original Always Sunny. For one thing, it somehow evolved into a Charlie Swan/OFC fic (at least the first part) told from the perspective of Sunny 2.0. Also soulmates for everyone are a thing (romantic, platonic, rivalry, multi-soulmates, I dunno. It's gonna get wild guys.) Let's just say I've taken the _Twilight_ canon and tossed it out a window. Now just a note to my readers, future and past, I am first and foremost writing this **_for me_**. I love you guys and I love getting reviews but please, please, _please __**DO NOT DEMAND UPDATES.** _

This chapter is just a test run for me, a way to jump back on the fanfic horse so please don't, well, don't a dick, I guess.

**_Required Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight or any characters belonging to Stephanie Meyer. I'm just taking them out for a cheap night of fun then I'll never call them back. _**

Enjoy.

* * *

There was a human on their porch. The human seemed as surprised to see her as Sunny was to see it, peering down at her. Sunny blinked at it slowly and tilted her head, curls tickling her cheek.

"Er..."

"Sunny?" Aunt Jet called from the kitchen, interrupting the human. She appeared in the kitchen doorway at the other end of the foyer, "Who's at the—Oh! Charlie, hi! What are you doing here?"

"I was, uh, in the area on patrol. Thought I'd stop by..."

Sunny stepped away from the front door as Jet rushed forward. Her aunt's magic buzzed, sparking with a curious mix of excitement and nervousness. Huh. She's never felt it do that before.

Sunny stepped up behind her aunt's legs and peered up at the human as it talked to her aunt.

It was smiling at her aunt, but it seemed awkward like it wasn't used to it. Pale skin, curly brown hair with a hint of grey starting at its temples, brown eyes. She sensed a faint wisp of magic, but it was so diluted it might as well not be there.

Boring. _Human. _She saw no reason for her aunt's reaction.

It caught her staring at him and wiggled its fingers at her. Sunny blinked and raised her hand, mimicking the motion. Its smile widened, grabbing Aunt Jet's attention.

"Oh!" Aunt Jet chuckled and shifted to the side. Her hand landed on Sunny's head. "Charlie, this is my niece, Sunny. Sunny this is Charlie Swan. He's a police officer and an old friend of mine."

Ah. That might explain Aunt Jet's reaction. It was always exciting to see friends again, though the strength of Aunt Jet's reaction was unusual. Now to ask what a 'police officer' is.

Sunny stared up at her aunt blankly. "What is a police officer?"

"She's never met a police officer?" The human asked Aunt Jet, brows arching.

"Ah, no, my brother lived in a pretty rural area." Her aunt explained then addressed Sunny, "Police officers keep people safe and make sure everyone's following the rules, sweetheart."

Ahhh, the human version of peace-keepers then. Were human peace-keepers as terrifying and useless as Underhill's? Probably not if this one was friends with her aunt...

Sunny nodded then looked fully at the human,_ Charlie Swan_. "Hello."

"Hi there," Charlie Swan crouched, so he was closer to her height and held out a hand, "It's nice to meet you, Sunny."

Sunny stared at the hand then at the human, head tilting. She didn't know what it wanted her to do. Aunt Jet tapped her head with a finger, and Sunny looked up. Aunt Jet smiled softly, grey-green eyes reassuring.

"He wants to shake your hand, sweetness."

Her lips puckered, and she looked back at Charlie Swan's hand. "Why?"

"It's what _people _do when they introduce themselves." She meant that's what humans did. _Their_ people touched magics when they introduced themselves. Much safer that way. You're less likely to be injured or killed.

"I see."

She didn't. But her aunt wasn't concerned, and she has lived among humans for years now. It was probably safe.

"Y'know," Charlie Swan began as Sunny slowly slipped her hand into his. His magic was easier to feel with the physical contact; solid and sturdy, a tree rooted deep into the earth. Unmovable. "I have a daughter around your age."

Sunny glanced away from their joined hands (his dwarfed hers, fingers closing gently around her own so she could feel every callous as he held it). "Really?"

She didn't particularly care about human offspring, more curious about his magic and the way it seemed to curl towards her aunt, like tree branches stretching towards the sun. She poked his magic with hers experimentally. His magic barely even twitched, and the Charlie Swan showed no signs that he felt it either. Mildly disappointing but unsurprising. Too weak and diluted.

"Yeah," Charlie Swan smiled warmly, brown eyes softening with obvious affection for his child. Completely oblivious to her magic prodding at his. "She's gonna be visiting me soon if you'd like to meet her."

"That would be wonderful, Charlie," Aunt Jet said before Sunny could say anything. She ruffled Sunny's hair and smiled when Sunny looked up at her, brows dipping just slightly. "Sunny hasn't spent much time around kids her age. It'll be good for her."

Sunny disagreed but kept her mouth shut. No need to poke the dragon in front of company.

Charlie Swan released her hand and straightened from his crouch. Sunny pulled her hand back and inspected it curiously. Wisps of his magic clung to her, lingering like smoke before dissipating. Huh.

The human tucked his own hands in the pockets of brown pants and rocked back on his heels slightly.

"Maybe we could make a day of it?" He asked, looking at her aunt almost hopefully. The tops of his scruffy cheeks pinked and he pulled one hand out of his pocket to scratch the back his neck. "Go fishing or something?"

Aunt Jet's magic jumped and spasmed for an alarming second. Sunny jerked her head up and found her aunt smiling, big and goofy. Sunny squinted at her, but her magic had calmed back down to it's previous excited/nervous buzzing. Strange.

She poked her aunt's magic and received a scolding zap for her trouble. Sunny scowled at her, but Aunt Jet was too busy beaming at Charlie Swan to pay her any mind.

"I'd-uh, I mean, _we'd_ love that, Charlie." Warmth practically radiated from her aunt, her magic dancing with it.

"We could, um, invite the Blacks too." Charlie Swan added, ducking his head a little and shifting his feet. His cheeks pinked further, and his magic seemed to shrink to almost nothing with sudden anxiety.

"O-oh," Her aunt's magic dimmed along with her smile, disappointment obvious. Her smiled brightened quickly though when Charlie Swan looked up again. "That'd be great too. The more, the merrier!"

"Uh, good, good." Charlie Swan rubbed the back of his neck again and took a step back, "I, uh, should get back to patrolling. I'll, um, call you? S-so we can plan a date? Trip! I, uh, I mean _trip._"

Her aunt's smile softened, and she nodded, "Sounds good, Charlie. Have a nice day."

"You too, Jet." He smiled awkwardly at Sunny and gave a little wave, "Bye, Sunny."

Sunny mimicked the motion when her aunt tapped the top of her head with a finger, "Goodbye, Charlie Swan."

He made an odd face then turned on his heel and walked down the porch steps, heading towards the automobile parked next to her aunt's. Aunt Jet sighed, the sound wistful, as she watched the automobile disappear down the driveway.

Oh. _Ohhh. _

Sunny poked her aunt with her magic again. Aunt Jet and her magic jumped.

"Sunny!"

Sunny blinked slowly at her aunt, unrepentant. "You stare at him like Da stares at Papa."

Sunny couldn't believe it had taken her so long to figure out. Her aunt reacted to the human the same way her fathers responded to each other when they first started courting. Her aunt was _attracted_ to the human. On the one hand, it was reassuring to know nothing was wrong with her aunt. On the other, ew.

"Wha- No, I don't!" Aunt Jet sputtered, her magic zinging with embarrassment. She avoided looking at Sunny as she shut and locked the front door. "Charlie is just a friend, nothing more."

"That's what Da said about Papa," Sunny noted, following on her aunt's heels as she hurried back to the kitchen. Well, technically, her da referred to her papa as his "special friend" back then, but Sunny was sure the premise was the same.

"That's different."

Or maybe not. What made a special friend different from _just_ a friend? Why did friends even need to be classified as special or not special? A friend was a friend until they weren't anymore.

"Your Da and your Papa..." Aunt Jet trailed off, sighing. "It's just different, Sunny-girl. I can't court, Charlie. He can't be anything more than a good friend."

"Because he's human?" Sunny frowned. Courting humans wasn't _encouraged, _but it wasn't straight out forbidden either. There was a lot of paperwork involved if she remembered right. Maybe her aunt didn't want to deal with that? Her papa always complained about paperwork.

Aunt Jet winced and shook her head, "Not...entirely. It's complicated, sweetheart."

Sunny climbed onto one of the kitchen chairs, folding her hands on the tabletop and tilting her head like a curious bird. She watched her aunt putter around the kitchen, prepping the various meals for the inn's current guests. Her magic no longer buzzed and hummed. It stagnated, dull and subdued.

"Well, I think you should court him." Sunny declared with all the authority she could muster. "Even if he is a boring human with almost no magic."

"Oh yeah?" Her aunt turned to look at her, brows arched high, and a smile tugging at her lips. Her magic sparked faintly with amusement then zinged with confusion, her brows dipping. "Wait, what do you mean _almost_ no magic? Charlie doesn't have any magic."

"Yes he does, barely." Sunny tilted her head to the left and blinked slowly, "It's solid, sturdy, like one of the great trees with strong roots dug deep into the earth."

Aunt Jet stared at her silently; her magic shifted and spasmed uncomfortably. Sunny shifted in her seat and cocked her head to the right, her brows furrowing. Her magic shivered beneath her skin with discomfort. Had she said something wrong?

"Is...should I not have said anything? Was it wrong?"

Aunt Jet's magic jumped, and she nearly shouted, "No!"

Sunny startled and straightened, stared wide-eyed at her aunt; her magic bristled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout," Aunt Jet cleared her throat. She crossed the short distance between them, scooping Sunny out of her into her arms. Her magic brushed against Sunny's soothingly before pulling away. "I- you surprised me. I've known Charlie for years and never felt any magic from him."

"It isn't powerful," Sunny said slowly, carefully. Her aunt had pulled her magic back, making it difficult for her to read. "I barely sensed it before we 'shook hands.'"

"That's...wow," Her aunt sat slowly in one of the kitchen chairs, Sunny still in her arms. "You-you must be, um, pretty sensitive to magic, huh?"

"Yes?" Sunny drew the word out, eyeing her aunt. Had she not known that? "Is that...bad?"

"Oh, oh no, of course not, Sunny-girl." Aunt Jet hugged her close and kissed her temple, "Just surprising, is all. Does explain a lot though. Gonna kick your da's ass for not telling me."

Sunny wisely chose to pretend she hadn't heard that last part, assuming she wasn't meant to hear it as her aunt had muttered it under her breath. She had a more important question, anyway.

"Will you court Charlie Swan now?" Surely the paperwork wouldn't be so bad now that Aunt Jet knew Charlie Swan had at least _some_ magic-blood. Even if it was a pathetically small amount.

"Uh..." Her aunt stalled, magic spasming despite her iron control over it. Her cheeks pinked and she avoided looking Sunny in the eye, laughing nervously. "Charlie, uh, Charlie not having magic wasn't the, um, problem, sweetness."

"Oh," Sunny pondered that for a moment then, "What _is _the problem?"

"Complicated," Her aunt stood and sat her down in the chair, "Now, what do you want for dinner?"

Sunny huffed but let it go for the moment. She would be living with her aunt in the human realm for the foreseeable future, so she had plenty of time to figure out why her aunt refused to court Charlie Swan when it was obvious she wanted to.

"Eggs please,"

A month later, Sunny found herself on the porch of a small two-story house with her aunt. There was a police cruiser parked in the single-car driveway, a large red truck parked on the curb behind it.

"Ready?" Aunt Jet asked, smiling down at Sunny. Her magic flickered with the familiar excited/nervous buzzing and happy warmth Sunny now associated with Charlie Swan.

They'd met him again a handful of times in the last month, often while they were in town. Once or twice Charlie—her aunt insisted her call him just Charlie or Mr. Swan, humans didn't use full names to address each other casually—had shown up at the inn, claiming he was on patrol in the area and he just wanted to check on them. They lived pretty far out of town after all.

Every time Aunt Jet's magic buzzed and warmed with her joy, even if they could only converse for a few minutes. And that little wisp of magic Charlie possessed always, _always_ reached out to her aunt's. Never quite reaching her, but trying anyway. It was fascinating. His magic never reacted to Sunny's curious prodding but if Aunt Jet's magic jumped, his did too. It was _absolutely fascinating. _

It was also cute and incredibly frustrating watching them interact. They both so clearly desired each other, yet neither seemed particularly willing to stop dancing around the problem and begin courting each other.

Sunny just stared at her aunt, brows arched. She was meeting a couple of human children and their sires, one of which she already knew. Hardly a reason to be nervous.

Aunt Jet chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Alright, alright. Of course, you're ready. Why don't you ring the doorbell then?"

Sunny sighed but stepped forward and stood on her tiptoes, pressing the doorbell. It chimed, louder to her ears than it probably was to a human. She wrinkled her nose and stepped back to stand at her aunt's side. Something thumped then crashed, and someone cursed.

"Ooooh," A young voice laughed, "Dad! Uncle Charlie said a bad word!"

"That's Jake," Aunt Jet whispered, smiling as they listened to someone (probably Charlie) scramble towards the door. "I think you'll like him."

Sunny wasn't too sure about that, but she kept her opinion to herself. No need to be contrary so early into this little adventure. She had all day for that.

Charlie flung the door open. He looked a little breathless; his pale face flushed a faint pink as was normal whenever he was around Aunt Jet. And as per usual, Aunt Jet's magic sparked and hummed while Charlie's magic flickered and stretched towards her aunt.

"Er, sorry," He cleared his throat and unlocked the exterior door, stepping outside to hold it open for them. "I, uh, tripped over a tackle box. C'mon in."

Charlie, Sunny had learned during a few of their spontaneous meetings, could be quite clumsy. An odd trait for a peace-keeper to have, in her opinion.

"Are you okay?" Aunt Jet asked even as she smiled, nudging Sunny inside the house before following her through the threshold.

"I'm, um, I'm alright." Charlie replied, running his hand through his disheveled brown hair as he let the exterior door swing shut behind him, "Uh, Billy's packing lunch for us. Rachel and Rebecca didn't want to come, so uh, it's just Jake and Bella today."

"Probably a good thing," Her aunt laughed, "Meeting so many people at once might stress Sunny out. She can meet them at the next barbecue Billy has."

Sunny tuned the two adults out, looking around. There was a staircase leading up the second floor directly in front of her. A pair of French doors opened up into a living room beside the stairs and a narrow open entry to the left of the front door that led to the kitchen.

Sunny ignored the staircase and slithered around Charlie and Aunt Jet awkwardly making small talk—their version of flirting, she decided—and headed into the kitchen.

The kitchen was a decent size with soft green walls and matching cabinets. There was a bay window overlooking the front yard with a small table and two chairs in front of it. Three open coolers sat on top of the table.

A tall, heavy-set man with long black hair stood at the counter behind the table with his back to her, humming quietly. Magic hummed around him, vibrant, powerful and so very different from anything she's felt before.

"Oh!" The man turned at her gasp, and Sunny stared at him wide-eyed. "You have magic!"

Oops.

Sunny clapped her hands over her mouth, mortification making her eyes widen further. She hadn't meant to say that. She hoped Charlie hadn't heard. The man's dark eyebrows rose, and he looked over her head—checking to see if Charlie heard?—then focused warm black eyes on her.

"You must be Jet's niece," He flashed a warm, reassuring smile that deepened the lines at the corners of his eyes and he crouched in front of her—why did humans keep doing that?

"I'm Billy Black. I went to school with your aunt way back when." His magic stretched towards her in greeting.

Her magic fluttered, but she held it back. She'd never actually touched magics with someone (who wasn't family) without her da or papa there to introduce her in Underhill. It wasn't safe, or proper, for someone her age to do so.

"Really?" It came out muffled by her hands, still clasped over her mouth. Perhaps, this time, it would be okay? She wasn't in Underhill anymore after all...and Aunt Jet was only a few feet away...and this Billy Black didn't _feel _threatening...

Billy Black nodded, still smiling, his magic waiting patiently outstretched for her to respond. Sunny slowly lowered her hands from her mouth. She stared at him intently then slowly let her magic reach for his. Billy Black's magic—deep forests, moonlight through leaves, and thick fur—brushed hers in gentle greeting. She squeaked, surprised and delighted, and responded in kind.

"You have _strong_ magic." And warm and kind, like her da's. She basked in it for another moment then pulled her magic away. Introductions only lasted for a few seconds, just long enough to establish that neither party was a threat to each other.

Billy Black chuckled, his magic retreating. "So do you, little one."

"That's kind of you to say," Sunny preened just a little then looked him in the eye, "What _are_ you?"

"Blunt little thing, aren't you?" Billy chuckled again and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'm a shapeshifter from the Quileute tribe in La Push. You've probably never met anyone with non-European magic, huh?

"That would be an accurate assumption," Sunny replied, getting another chuckle out of the man. Sunny hesitated then thrust her hand out, "I'm Sunny Domann, nice to meet you, Mr. Billy Black. This is how normal humans introduce themselves, yes?"

"Usually. It's nice to meet you too, Sunny," Billy Black replied, taking her hand carefully in his much larger one. "Just Billy is fine, or Mr. Black if you want to be formal."

Sunny pumped his hand once then let it go quickly. Even when they both kept their magics contained, touching him made her fingers tingle. _Fascinating. _

"There you are, Sunny-girl. Oh, hey Billy," Aunt Jet finally entered the kitchen, Charlie trailing behind her. Her aunt smiled at Sunny, then Billy, "I see you've already met Sunny."

"I did," Billy chuckled and pushed himself to his feet. He crossed the short distance between him and Aunt Jet in a few strides and scooped her up in a bear hug. He lifted her right off her feet even though she was nearly his height.

"Oof, Billy!" Her aunt laughed, slapping his back lightly. "Put me down before you throw your back out!"

"_Pfft, _you're not that heavy, Jet." Billy snorted but set Aunt Jet back on her feet. He clapped her shoulder and turned to grin at Sunny, "She's a cute kid, I gotta say. You sure she's Mac's kid?"

"Pretty sure," Aunt Jet chuckled then addressed Sunny, "You say hello to Charlie, Sunny?"

Sunny blinked slowly, "No, I didn't want to interrupt your flirting."

Charlie choked, weak magic shrinking with embarrassment. Her aunt's magic jumped, and her cheeks pinked. Billy's prickled with amusement.

"That's not-" Charlie choked, weak magic shrinking with embarrassment.

"We weren't-" Her aunt began at the same time, her magic sparking like a live wire.

They both stopped and looked at each then away quickly, faces going pink. Charlie cleared his throat, rubbing at the back of his neck, and Aunt Jet stared at the ceiling like it had the answer to life.

Sunny sighed. Adults, humans and non-humans, were ridiculous.

"Looks like she's got your numbers," Billy laughed then winked at Sunny, "Why don't you go meet Jake and Bella? They're in the dining room, just through there."

He gestured to a second, wider doorway that led to a robin's egg blue room.

"Alright," Sunny agreed. She turned, paused mid-step, turned back toward Mr. Charlie, and said, "Hello, Mr. Charlie. I appreciate the invitation to go fishing with you and your daughter."

"Uh," Mr. Charlie shot a confused look at Aunt Jet then cleared his throat when she just shrugged. He smiled awkwardly at Sunny, "You're, uh, you're welcome, Sunny. I hope you have fun today."

Sunny nodded once shortly and turned on her heel.

"Does she always talk like that or...?" She heard Charlie ask as she trotted out of the kitchen.

She didn't bother listening to her aunt's reply. It was easier just to let Aunt Jet explain away any of her behaviors, and mannerisms humans found odd. She paused mid-step and stared at the two children in the room. Both knelt on the floor, picking up the mess Charlie made when he tripped over the tackle box earlier.

Charlie's eyes stared at her from the pale, round face of the girl, nearly hidden by her curtain of straight, dark brown hair. She held a small glass jar full of slimy red balls, the yellow label declaring it a jar of salmon eggs. The boy next to her looked slightly younger with black eyes, short black hair, and russet-brown skin like Billy Black

Sunny blinked once, slowly then raised her hand and wiggled her fingers. "Hello,"

A beat passed then the boy grinned, discarding the bag of red and white plastic balls he'd been picking up, and jumped to his feet.

"Hi!" He exclaimed, practically teleporting in front of her. His magic, similar to Billy's but less trained, swirled around him in his excitement. "I'm Jacob, but you can call me Jake! What's your name?"

"Sunny Domann," Sunny leaned back, slightly intimidated by his exuberance. She stuck her hand out, "Nice to meet you, Jake."

"You too!" Jacob said, smiling as he grabbed her hand.

Magic sparked the moment his palm touched hers, numbing Sunny's fingers and arm up to the elbow. She yelped and jerked back the same time Jacob did, clutching her numb hand to her chest. Her magic rippled, spasming in a way it never has before.

"Whoa! You shocked me!" Jacob laughed, shaking his hand out. His magic, already rather wild, bounced and swirled with his excitement.

"Is everything alright in here?" Aunt Jet appeared in the doorway behind Sunny. Her hand came down to rest on Sunny's head, her magic gentle brushing against her in concern. Sunny pulsed her magic once, letting her aunt know she was okay.

"Yes, Aunt Jet."

"Yeah, we just shocked each other!" Jacob flashed a mega-watt smile at Aunt Jet.

Aunt Jet hummed, looking between the two for a moment, then nodded, "Alright then."

Sunny turned slightly to watch her aunt walk back into the kitchen, letting Charlie and Billy know everything was fine. When she looked back at Jacob, he had that mega-watt smile directed at her, black eyes bright with excitement.

"You got one of those hand buzzer things on or something?" He asked, then waved his hand at her, "That was a crazy strong shock! My fingers are all numb."

Sunny bristled, "No, you're uncontrolled ma-"

Sunny cut herself off when his magic poked hers. She twitched and glared, but he widened his eyes and subtly pointed over his shoulder. Sunny glanced behind him and saw the pale girl staring at them, brown eyes concerned and confused. Right, normal human girl. Proceed with caution.

Sunny bit her tongue and blew a hard breath from her nose like an angry horse.

"No," She gritted out, "I apologize."

"Must'a been a static shock then," Jacob laughed then held his hand out to her, still grinning like a loon. He'd pulled his magic back somewhat, but it continued to bounce and twist like an untrained puppy. "Wanna help us get the fishing stuff all ready?"

Not particularly.

"Alright."

Sunny eyed his hand then, keeping her magic leashed, she took it. Their magics jumped but didn't shock them again. Jacob's grin widened impossibly, eyes crinkling, and he tugged her over to the table where the girl still knelt.

"Sunny, this is Bella," Jacob introduced, gesturing towards the brunette enthusiastically with his free hand. Sunny wasn't sure he didn't do anything unenthusiastically. And why was he still holding her hand?

"Bells, this is Sunny."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." Sunny pointedly pulled her hand away from Jacob's, ignoring the playful pout he sent her way and held it out to the human girl.

"Uh, n-nice to meet you too," Bella replied, briefly meeting Sunny's eyes before looking down as she shook her hand weakly. She pulled her back quickly, fidgeting with the jar of salmon eggs.

Interesting. Sunny hadn't felt any magic from Bella, not even the faint whisper she got from Charlie, but she'd certainly sensed it the moment she shook the human girl's hand. Strong, sturdy walls and hard-packed earth.

The temptation to poke and prod was almost overwhelming then Jacob's magic fluctuated after the silence between the three stretched into uncomfortable and awkward. Her magic flared in response, and she wrestled with it for a moment, shooting him a glare.

He grinned at her then said, "So, you ever been fishing, Sunny?"

"Yes," Sunny replied, watching Jacob knelt and picked up the bag of red and white plastic balls he'd dropped earlier. Bella quietly joined him, setting the salmon eggs inside the tackle box.

Slowly, Sunny joined them on the floor, picking up a small plastic jar full of fluorescent orange...stuff. She unscrewed the cap and recoiled, "Ugh! What _is_ this stuff?"

"It's fish bait," Jacob laughed at her, taking the container and lid from her. He screwed the top back on and put the foul-smelling stuff in the tackle box.

"That's not bait, that's death in a bottle." Sunny grumped and snagged a red plastic case with a clear lid. Silver balls of varying sizes rattled inside it. She shook it. "What are these?"

Jacob looked at her, incredulously, "Those are weights. Don't you know what any of this stuff is?"

"I don't even know what half of this stuff is, Jake" Bella muttered, placing a spool of bright green wire in the tackle box.

"You know what _bait_ and _weights_ are, Bells. Besides, you think fishing is lame, so it doesn't count." Jacob rolled his eyes then addressed Sunny before Bella could reply though she rolled her eyes. "I thought you said you've gone fishing before."

"I have," Sunny retorted and flapped her hand at the stuff still on the floor, "But we didn't use all this _stuff._"

"Then how did you _fish?"_

"With spears, of course. Or bare-handed." And magic but she kept that to herself: mundane human present and all.

"What?" Bella's head shot up, and she stared at Sunny with wide brown eyes.

"Seriously?!" Jacob hooted at the same time, a grin lighting up his entire face. "That's so cool!"

He scooted closer to her, leaning into her space. Sunny leaned away from him, magic bristling in warning. Lucky for him, he took the hint and settled back out of her personal space though his magic practically vibrated with his excitement.

"How'd you learn? Can you teach me? Did you ever catch anything? Is it super hard? Can you really catch a fish with your hands? Can you teach me that too?"

"Um..." Sunny faltered in the face of Jacob's rapid-fire questions. She wasn't sure he even took a breath between questions. Were all the children in the human realm like this? Even the magically inclined ones? "My da. Maybe. Yes. Not really. Yes. Maybe."

"Wow..."

"Can you really teach us?" Bella asked, actually looking interested. Sunny thought she caught a faint flicker from the girl's magic but couldn't be entirely sure with Jacob's wild magic dominating most of her attention.

"Maybe?" Sunny hedged, "It would depend on where we're fishing."

Jacob scrunched his face, "Lake Crescent, I think. That's where we usually go. There or Lake Pleasant but I'm pretty sure we're going to Lake Crescent today."

"How big is the lake?"

"Uh," Jacob and Bella exchanged glances, but Bella spoke, "Pretty big."

"Then probably not."

"Awww, why not?" Jacob whined, lower lip puckering in a pout. His magic twisted with disappointment before rippling with sudden mischief. He grinned. "Wait, is it 'cause you were lying?"

Sunny furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the right, "I don't lie."

"If you're not lying, then why can't you teach us?" Jacob needled, poking her with a finger and his magic.

Her magic snapped back, and he jumped, goosebumps rippling up his arms. He gawped at her then laughed, nearly tipping over.

There was something wrong with this child.

Bella looked between them, confusion clear on her face, but she remained quiet.

Sunny eyed Jacob like she would something particularly nasty. "I can't teach you because it's a bloody lake. My da taught me how to spear- and hand-fish in a stream by our home."

"Oh, that makes sense," Bella said, fidgeting with another container of the so-called bait. She glanced at Sunny from under her bangs and offered a small, shy smile. "Um, maybe we could teach you to fish with a rod? Well, Jake, Billy, and Cha-_Dad_, could teach you. I, uh, I don't really like fishing."

"Oh? Why not?"

"'Cause she's a _girl_." Jacob snickered. Bella twitched and ducked her head, staring at the 'bait' container she held.

Sunny stared at him blankly, "I didn't ask you, I asked Bella."

That shut him up and he ducked his head, magic twisting with embarrassment.

"Sorry, Bells."

"Um, it-it's alright. I mean, he's sorta right?" Bella bit her lip and avoided eye contact like the plague—something she inherited from Charlie. "I'm not really, y'know, outdoorsy. And fish are slimy and smell gross."

"Ah," Sunny wasn't sure how being female fit into that but she already knew the human realm was weird.

"Uh, what about you, Sunny?" Bella asked before an awkward silence could descend. "Do, um, do you like fishing?"

"I don't mind it." Sunny shrugged then folded her arms over her chest. "Mostly I enjoyed spending time with my da, and he likes fishing, so..."

She shrugged again.

"O-oh, that's, um, nice." Bella chewed on her lower lip then set the bait jar she held in the tackle box, "We should, um, probably finish getting this stuff ready, so we can leave when lunch is packed."

Jacob, surprisingly silent until then, brightened and nodded eagerly. "Yeah! Last one to finish packing the tackle boxes is a rotten egg!"

Sunny frowned at him, "What?"

As soon as the word left her mouth, she regretted it. Jacob's whole face lit up with glee and his magic rippled with mischief.

Great.

An hour and one in-depth conversation (that lasted the entire forty-minute drive to the lake) about why, exactly, being considered a rotten egg was a horrible thing for children in the human realm, Billy parked Aunt Jet's pick-up truck. He'd managed, after some clever finagling, to convince Aunt Jet to let him drive her truck with Sunny, Bella, and Jacob while she and Charlie_ his_ truck with the fishing equipment.

Sunny was impressed and quite pleased to see someone else wanted her aunt and Charlie to court each other.

"You ready to catch some trout, kiddos?" Billy asked as he pulled the front seat up to let them out after hopping out of the truck.

"I am, Dad!" Jacob exclaimed. He clambered out of the truck gracelessly and nearly fell flat on his face when he launched himself from the vehicle. He flung his arms out wide and laughed once he remembered how legs worked. "I'm gonna catch a trout _this_ big!"

"Do fish grow that big here?" Sunny asked as she slipped from the truck far more gracefully than Jacob managed. Fish could certainly grow that large—an eight-year old's arm span would be considered _small _really—in Underhill, but she hadn't realized they could in the human realm.

"Oh, I don't know about _that_ big," Billy chuckled, helping Bella out of the car. She was, apparently, as clumsy as Charlie. Once she was out and safely standing beside the truck, he shut the truck door. "But they can get to a pretty decent size here."

"Oh," Disappointing but not all that surprising.

"Don't worry, there are other places in the world where fish can grow as big as a man. Maybe you'll catch one of those someday." He patted her head and headed over to where Charlie parked Billy's truck a few spaces over.

Kind words, but completely unnecessary in her opinion. She could return to Underhill and catch a fish that large in the lake near her home. No traveling the human world required.

Jacob suddenly popped up in front of Sunny, grinning wide and mischievous. By this point, Sunny believed he was descended from some trickster god or spirit.

"Hey, hey, Sunny," He sang, poking her with his magic and a finger just to irritate her, "I bet I can catch a bigger fish than you can."

"I doubt that," Sunny scoffed, putting her hand against his face and shoving him away. Ridiculous boy.

Jacob snickered, dancing away from her. "Wanna bet?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Jacob retorted, still grinning that absolutely infuriating grin. "Unless you're scared you'll lose?"

"_Excuse _me?" Did he know who (_what_) he was talking too? No one in her family lost a wager because they weren't stupid enough to take a fool's bet.

That stupid grin on his stupid face widened. "You heard me. Or are you too chicken to make a bet 'cause you _know_ I can catch more fish than you."

"What does a chicken have to do with anything?" Sunny demanded, mentally cursing humans and their strange idioms that made no bloody sense.

"He's saying you're scared." Bella explained, shuffling her feet and folding her arms over her chest, "Chickens are scared of everything. So, yeah, that's, uh, what he meant..."

So being a chicken meant you were a coward? Why couldn't they just _say _that?

"What Bells said," Jacob snickered, rocking back on his heels as he stared at Sunny expectantly. "So you too chicken or what?"

Sunny's eyes narrowed, pride warring with her common sense. They weren't spear- or hand-fishing today, using a rod and reel with bait instead. She had no idea how to use a fishing rod.

Jacob started clucking like a chicken after a few moments. Sunny growled.

"Fine," She snapped, pride winning out. "What are we wagering?"

"Really? Sweet!" Jacob punched his fist in the air then tapped his chin with a finger, "Let's see, hmm... I bet twenty bucks I'll catch more fish than you by the time we leave!"

_Bucks_ meant money if she recalled. What a stupid term. Sunny rolled her eyes, "I don't have any money."

"Oh," Jacob deflated then demanded, "How do you not have money? Don't you get, like an allowance for chores and stuff?"

"I didn't need it when I lived with my da, and I've only lived with my aunt for a month and a half."

Jacob pouted, "Well, that's just lame."

Sunny rolled her eyes again then, after a moment of thought, huffed. She couldn't believe she was about to offer this...

"How about a favor?"

"A favor?" Jacob scoffed and rolled his eyes this time, "C'mon, I can't buy video games with a favor."

"Well then," Sunny smirked, "I guess there's no point in the bet."

She turned on her heel and headed to where Charlie, Billy and her aunt were unloading their fishing equipment.

"Wait, wait!" Jacob shouted, running to catch up with her. He caught her arm, both of their magics sparking with the contact. He jerked his hand back, shaking it out with a frown, "Man, we have got to stop doing that."

"Learn to control your magic then," Sunny hissed quietly, eyes flickering to Bella slowly walking over to them. She'd pulled a book from the backpack she brought with her, flipping through it.

"Hey, your the one with the weird magic," He snapped back then shook his head, "Not the point! I'll take the bet. Whoever catches the most fish by the time we leave gets one favor that can be used whenever from the loser, deal?"

He held his hand out to her. Then jerked it back when Sunny went to grab it. He wagged a finger from his other hand at her face.

"And no magic cheating, got it?"

Sunny scowled but nodded, "Ugh, fine. Whoever catches the most fish _without cheating _by the time we leave gets _one _favor from the loser, to be used whenever the winner decides. Deal?"

"Deal."

Jacob smiled, smug and cocky, and held his hand out again. Glowering, Sunny grabbed his hand. Magic pulsed from both of them, startling them both and catching Billy and Aunt Jet's attention.

"You kids, alright?" Billy called out in concern.

"Yeah, Dad!" Jacob shouted back, shifting his hand and interlacing his fingers with Sunny's. He grinned when she grumbled then held his other hand out to Bella when she reached them. "Just made a bet with Sunny that I can catch more fish than her!"

"_You did what?!" _

Sunny and Jacob exchanged startled looks at her aunt's shout.

"Um..." He released Sunny's hand and pointed at her, "It was her idea!"

"_Excuse me?!"_


End file.
